Monday, 9 April 2018

Virtual reality is the latest plaything of the fashion set, with designers from Tommy Hilfiger to Dior, Rebecca Minkoff and Jean-Pierre Braganza all experimenting with it.
Now, it’s Swedish designer Ida Klamborn’s turn. Where most of her contemporaries have taken VR and applied it as an immersive film experience shot during fashion week and delivered a few months later in time with their collection hitting the shop floor, Klamborn is offering up a real-time initiative live from her front row.

Fans around the world will be able to access the show as it takes place during Fashion Week in Stockholm on February 3 via their mobiles and a Google cardboard set (1,000 of which are being given away by the team behind it). The live-streamed VR experience, running in collaboration with telecom operator Tele2, will then enable them to feel as though they are taking a seat next to some of the industry’s biggest fashion insiders.

Reminiscent of something Topshop did back in February 2014 (where certain fans could wear Oculus Rift headsets in the retailer’s flagship store windows), this project, dubbed the “Democratic Front Row”, takes it one step further. A robot installation will be put in place literally in the front row to symbolise the people tuning in via VR. That’s necessary of course to enable the 360-degree VR cameras to do their thing, but to put a marketing spin on it, Klamborn’s team have managed to convince local celebrities including artists Rebecca & Fiona and stylist Bea Åkerlund to “give up” their seats at the show and hand them over to virtual fans accordingly.
All of that is pushed via a promotional video (as below) that also sees Klamborn explaining why she wanted to make her show a more democratic experience. “I am constantly inspired by youth culture but unfortunately the young fans are seldom seen in the fashion world. Therefore I invite them to my front row to break the traditional structures of the fashion world and show that the future holds so many opportunities,” she adds.

If that wasn’t enough, the robot installation will also serve as an interactive experience for those in attendance by lighting up in response to the reaction of the fans watching. This is achieved based on “likes” gained for each look through the Front Row app that is compatible with Google Cardboard (and will launch on the the App Store and on Google Play ahead of the February 3 date). Klamborn says she will use the resulting data in her evaluation of the show.

Emma Ohlson, secretary general of the Association of Swedish Fashion Brands and organiser of Fashion Week Stockholm, says: “This [fashion] week’s theme is fashion and technology, and Democratic Front Row shows that the Swedish fashion industry is not afraid to break new ground by embracing technology. With this unique virtual reality live-stream, the consumer’s engagement will be measured instantly, which is incredibly useful for brands and something I believe will become [the] norm in the future.”

Sunday, 8 April 2018

We don’t need to break it to you, since you have voluntarily clicked on this article. If you earmark your virtual calendars for online sales, then you’re an addict. Every girl who shops online has her list of hacks. You are an expert at hunting down exactly what you need. That’s not to say there aren’t certain stunts you’ve tried to pull off during your therapeutic retail time. It’s okay – we all do it.

We went ahead and listed down 17 things that all discount-obsessed girls are guilty of doing once in their lives. Hey, a girl’s gotta hustle for her wardrobe must-haves.

1.You make a new email id every time to avail the introductory discount. Anything for that extra 10 percent!

2.You don’t check the size chart. Returning a garment is anyway easier than understanding a European size chart.

3.Speaking of swift returns, you order items fully aware you’re going to return them. The websites called this upon themselves, didn’t they? One click and a person will be sent to your doorstep. Enough reason for you to try out clothes for fun.

4. You stay up for midnight sales in the hope they will put your favourite shoes on discount. You may even skip work to score these deals. Now that’s real commitment!

5.You have a wishlist of products you’re never going to buy - same as window shopping, only less hurtful.

6. Every online shopaholic has tried to return worn clothes at least once in their life. You saved the tags, wore the dress to a party and decided you’re never going to wear it again. Click and return.

7. You have bought a product one size smaller only because it was on a heavy-duty discount. Shoes, top, a cute dress – you’ve gone that route and, somehow, even made them fit.

8.You have tried to make multiple discount codes work, fully aware that you can’t use more than one code while making a purchase.

9.Speaking of discounts, and this one’s our favourite, you’ve legit tried to buy things you don’t need to avail a discount code. What is it about “buy above Rs 2,500 and get 30% discount?” Cheers to buying that headband you’re never going to wear.

You didn’t ask, but we are offering tough love, today. Your wardrobe is a mess. Admit it – the only reason why a grown-up would proceed to read this is if they are chronically disorganised. First comes acceptance, so here you are hoping to revamp your wardrobe.

Whenever a conversation around decluttering happens, it is, somehow, always directed toward a wardrobe overhaul. Well, we’d like to strongly disagree. Buying new things won’t clear up the chaos, especially if it is a behavioural pattern. Your plan will most likely go up in flames. It won’t be a pretty picture. Nobody wants that.

Instead, let’s look at it from a different perspective – why don’t we discard rather than piling up layers and layers of clothes? Let’s attack the root cause of the wardrobe evil. Which means one thing - it’s time to bid adieu to some wardrobe leeches.

For that reason, we made a list of five wardrobe enemies… all of which have overstayed their welcome. There’s no looking back. Get to it.

1.Non-functional lingerie

What are you doing holding onto your worn-out lingerie? Bras with twisted underwires, panties with holes the size of a shark’s mouth, camisoles that have faded three shades beyond their original colour – these items are all obsolete. Sorry, your separation anxiety is invalid. So long, dirty lingerie!

2.Nostalgia-fuelled artefacts

Calling it - your teenage-girl clothes are artefacts. Last you wore them, it was summer of 2006. Now, in 2018, they are tyrants weighing down your wardrobe. It’s okay to make a case for that one t-shirt you wore to the first-ever concert – we’ll give you that. But, what about that denim mini that has survived five house shifts? Unless you wish to see your kids in these clothes – in that case too, shove these away in a carton – nothing should hold you back from donating these.

3.Dead shoes

Stop trying to revive your five-year-old high-street shoes that have seen too much. Fashion products, too, have a shelf life. Of course, we aren’t talking about fine jewellery or your designer finery. We are simply highlighting if you have shopped shoes from a fast-fashion label, don’t expect them to last decades. If the sole’s given out, don’t make another trip to the cobbler. Let them go. For a product worth, not more than a grand, it had a good run.

4.One-day-it-will-fit-me merch

Shopping for the body you want is a great way to motivate yourself. However, if you have been sitting on that dream but shopping relentlessly for it, then, Houston, we have a problem. Stop buying clothes that are two sizes too small. It’s unfair to your overworked wardrobe, more so for your self-confidence that deflates a little every time you reach for that cupboard door. Pack it all away in a carton. Open only when you have truly earned it.

5.Borrowed clothes

Seriously though, your sister has been looking for that dress. Gather everything that you have sincerely borrowed from all the kind people in your life. And, for the love of a tidy wardrobe, return it. No pressure, but hoarding is a bad karmic practice too. Just saying.

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